THE GIFTS.—THEIR OBJECT.
By James White
THE subject of the Gifts of the Church is at the present time receiving much attention. We are anxious that the readers of the REVIEW should understand our real position in regard to them. The Scriptural view of this subject will stand, however it may differ with previously received views. Bible Christians should not be afraid of any Bible question. Those who profess to be seeking for Gospel truth in its purity, do well to go back and learn from the acts and teachings of Christ's first witnesses, who received pure truth from the lips of the Great Teacher, and shared largely the gift of the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Truth. "We want the truth on every point;
We want it too to practice by:
Do thou, O Lord, our eyes anoint,
With a fresh Unction from on high." God set the Gifts in the Church. Mark xvi, 15-20; Acts ii, 1-4; 1 Cor. xii, 27-31; Eph. iv, 11-16. There is no evidence that they were given for a limited portion of the christian age, to be removed from the church, and she be left for a long time without them. And more, the prophecy of Joel quoted by Peter, [Joel ii, 28-32; Acts ii, 1-22,] and other portions of scripture, furnish sufficient grounds for faith that, in connection with the last message of mercy, the Gifts will be restored to a living church. To say that Joel ii, 28-32, was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost is most absurd, in view of the following facts— 1. The signs and wonders in heaven, and on earth, mentioned in the prophecy, did not then appear. 2. There is no evidence that the dreams and visions, mentioned in the prophecy, were given on the day of Pentecost. They were exercised with the gift of tongues on that day: but the record is silent in regard to visions. Neither can we suppose that there were "old men" asleep on that exciting occasion, dreaming dreams!! 3. The Prophet is telling what would occur prior to, and would constitute signs of, "the great and the terrible day of the Lord." The signs in heaven and on the earth, the out-pouring of the Spirit, prophesying, and remarkable dreams and visions, as the fruit of the Spirit, all constitute signs of the approach of that great and terrible day. 4. These were to occur in the "last days." As there can be no days later than the last, the days of which the Prophet speaks must reach to the end; (even admitting that the last days cover the whole Christian age;) but to apply the prophecy to the day of Pentecost, and have the events of the last days, and the signs of the coming of the great and the terrible day of the Lord fulfilled there, is most absurd. But we do not admit that the term "last days" applies to the whole Christian age. When Paul says, "In the last days perilous times shall come," [2 Tim. iii, 1,] he does not refer to the whole Christian age, a part of which had already past. He was speaking of the future. He pointed to the men of the last generation, to the fallen churches of this day, in whom is fulfilled the things of which he spake. Heb. i, 1, 2, may be urged as proof that the "last days" cover the whole Christian age—"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken to us by his Son." But, the days in which the Apostle wrote to the Hebrews, in contrast with the days in which God spoke to the Prophets, were the last. They were the last that the world had witnessed; hence Paul calls them "these last days," but that they were the "last days" that the world would ever witness, is quite another thing. The prophecy of Joel [chap ii, 28-32,] has its fulfillment in the "last days." It was written for the benefit of the remnant. The remnant mentioned in verse 32, who find deliverance, is evidently the same as in Rev. xii, 17, with whom the dragon is wroth. And why wroth? Because they keep the Commandments of God, and have the Testimony of Jesus Christ. What is the Testimony of Jesus Christ? We will let the angel who addressed John answer this question. He says, "The Testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Rev. xix, 10. Says Joel, "Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy." The remnant of both texts are evidently the same. No one, then, need marvel because the dragon's ire is stirred, on seeing the "spirit of prophecy" revive in the church. "But," say some, "the spirit of prophecy with all the Gifts, ceased 1800 years since." We inquire for their proof of this position, and they quote with emphasis 2 Tim. iii, 16, 17, to prove that God's revelation was complete in Paul's day, therefore instruction by any of the Gifts at this day must be unnecessary and false. Paul says, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable, . . . that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." But when did he thus write to his son Timothy? Answer, A. D. 66. Now this text either proves that all men, for all coming time, were thoroughly furnished unto all good works, when Paul penned it, or it does not. If it does, then it also proves that the epistles of John, written twenty-four years afterward, and the Revelation given thirty years after, were superfluous. But if the text does not prove that all men for all coming time, were thoroughly furnished unto all good works, A. D. 66, when Paul wrote it, then it does not disprove the view that God may reveal himself by some of the Gifts A. D. 1856. It is evident that Paul here refers to the Old Testament Scriptures which Timothy had known from his youth. As all objections against the revival of the Gifts can be fully met, then we inquire, what is their object? Were they designed to take the place of the Word? Never! If the Gifts be revived, and the church receive instruction from them, will not this supercede the necessity of searching the Scriptures for truth and duty? No! Never! Here is where some good brethren are stumbling at this subject. They conclude that if it be true that God is reviving some of the Gifts, "for the comfort of his people, and to correct those who err from Bible truth," that all errors would at once be corrected by these Gifts, and the church be saved the trouble of searching the Word for truth to expose error. They think it strange that the error of commencing the Sabbath at 6 o'clock has not been corrected by some of the Gifts, if indeed they exist in the church. But such entertain erroneous views of this subject. They would put the Gifts where they do not belong. Said Jesus, "Search the Scriptures." We are to seek for truth, not only as for lost treasures, but as for "hid treasures." The revival of any, or of all the Gifts, will never supercede the necessity of searching the Word to learn the truth. The Scriptures on the subject of the time of the Sabbath have never been searched, as they have been by the remnant on other subjects, till of late. In our opinion, the error never would have been pointed out by any of the Gifts, unless the Word had first been thoroughly searched on the question. It is not God's plan to lead out his people into the broad field of truth by the Gifts. But after his people have searched the Word, if then individuals err from Bible truth, or through strife urge erroneous views upon the honest seekers for truth, then is God's opportunity to correct them by the Gifts. This is in harmony with our entire experience on this subject. Read Acts xv. When certain men from Judea taught the Gentile churches that they must be circumcised and keep the law of Moses, "Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension173and disputation with them." The subject was first duly discussed. Then from their Conference at Jerusalem the Apostles and Elders, with the whole church, sent out chosen men with letters to the Gentile churches. We give an item of the letter as follows:—"For it seemed good to the HOLY GHOST, and unto us, to lay upon you no greater burden," &c. Acts xv, 28. Apostolic order on this question was, first, investigation, then the testimony of the Holy Ghost in some way on the question. And we are confident that this has ever been God's order, and ever will be his order through all coming time. The Word should ever stand forth in front, as the rule of faith and duty. But the experience of the past shows that good men have erred greatly from Bible truth. It would be folly to deny this. If, then, in our extremity it be God's opportunity to correct the errors of the honest Bible reader, and rebuke the ambitious partisan—who would wish to be found fighting against God? The following we take from an article we wrote on this subject, published in the first Vol. of the REVIEW, April 21, 1851. Every Christian is therefore in duty bound to take the Bible as a perfect rule of faith and duty. He should pray fervently to be aided by the Holy Spirit in searching the Scriptures for the whole truth, and for his whole duty. He is not at liberty to turn from them to learn his duty through any of the Gifts. We say that the very moment he does, he places the Gifts in a wrong place, and takes an extremely dangerous position. The Word should be in front, and the eye of the church should be placed upon it, as the rule to walk by, and the fountain of wisdom, from which to learn duty in "all good works." But if a portion of the church err from the truths of the Bible, and become weak and sickly, and the flock become scattered, so that it seems necessary for God to employ the Gifts of the Spirit to correct, revive and heal the erring, we should let him work. Yea more, we should pray for him to work and plead earnestly that he would work by the Spirit's power, and bring the scattered sheep to his fold. Praise the Lord, he will work. Amen.